City council parses funding requests

Some last-minute negotiations this week yielded big results for several community organizations in Carbondale.

The Carbondale City Council on Tuesday approved more than $505,000 to fund community organizations for fiscal year 2026 — a standard part of the city budget process that will culminate this spring.

While that figure is down more than $20,000 from last year, various pitches from council members and organization representatives during the course of Tuesday's lengthy meeting resulted in significant increases for some groups. In total, the city council approved more than $78,000 in expenditures that went beyond staff recommendations.

At the discussion's end, Mayor Carolin Harvey warned that funding will be an ongoing problem, and community organizations should brace themselves for that.

"In 2021 fiscal year, we funded $240,000," Harvey said. "So take your minds back to 2021, and you paid $240 for something. It's now 2026, and you're paying $505 for that very same thing. The city does not have an endless pot of money. Be prepared for cuts next year. Let that sink in. This is more than double from five years ago. We cannot continue to do it."

Last-minute maneuvering on Tuesday resulted in significant increases in funding for some organizations over what staff had recommended. Those included $30,000 for the Eurma C. Hayes Center, $20,000 for Rainbow Community Health and Wellness and $19,000 for the Tisdale-Woods Foundation.

In the end, the city only provided funds to 26 of the 35 organizations that applied, and many received much less than they requested. The council approved less than half of the more than $1 million in funds requested in total. Last year, the city used more than $300,000 from the American Rescue Plan Act to supplement its funding — a luxury not available this year.

Several people criticized the city's annual process for funding organizations. Councilman Jeff Doherty, also a former city manager, said he has seen the process take place since 1976, and little has changed in that time.

"It's been the same every year," Doherty said. "Shame on us, but you know what? People make good arguments. There are good programs out there. We all have different areas that we think are important ... I think all of us would like to be able to fund all your requests."